Abstract
This study aimed to compare antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in extended-spectrum cephalosporin-resistant and generic Escherichia coli from a One Health continuum of the beef production system in Alberta, Canada. A total of 705 extended-spectrum cephalosporin-resistant E. coli (ESCr) were obtained from: cattle feces (CFeces, n = 382), catch basins (CBasins, n = 137), surrounding streams (SStreams, n = 59), beef processing plants (BProcessing, n = 4), municipal sewage (MSewage; n = 98) and human clinical specimens (CHumans, n = 25). Generic isolates (663) included: CFeces (n = 142), CBasins (n = 185), SStreams (n = 81), BProcessing (n = 159) and MSewage (n = 96). All isolates were screened for antimicrobial susceptibility to 9 antimicrobials and two clavulanic acid combinations. In ESCr, oxytetracycline (87.7%), ampicillin (84.4%) and streptomycin (73.8%) resistance phenotypes were the most common, with source influencing AMR prevalence (p < 0.001). In generic E. coli, oxytetracycline (51.1%), streptomycin (22.6%), ampicillin (22.5%) and sulfisoxazole (14.3%) resistance were most common. Overall, 88.8% of ESCr, and 26.7% of generic isolates exhibited multi-drug resistance (MDR). MDR in ESCr was high from all sources: CFeces (97.1%), MSewage (96.9%), CHumans (96%), BProcessing (100%), CBasins (70.5%) and SStreams (61.4%). MDR in generic E. coli was lower with CFeces (45.1%), CBasins (34.6%), SStreams (23.5%), MSewage (13.6%) and BProcessing (10.7%). ESBL phenotypes were confirmed in 24.7% (n = 174) ESCr and 0.6% of generic E. coli. Prevalence of bla genes in ESCr were blaCTXM (30.1%), blaCTXM-1 (21.6%), blaTEM (20%), blaCTXM-9 (7.9%), blaOXA (3.0%), blaCTXM-2 (6.4%), blaSHV (1.4%) and AmpC β-lactamase blaCMY (81.3%). The lower AMR in ESCr from SStreams and BProcessing and higher AMR in CHumans and CFeces likely reflects antimicrobial use in these environments. Although MDR levels were higher in ESCr as compared to generic E. coli, AMR to the same antimicrobials ranked high in both ESCr and generic E. coli sub-populations. This suggests that both sub-populations reflect similar AMR trends and are equally useful for AMR surveillance. Considering that MDR ESCr MSewage isolates were obtained without enrichment, while those from CFeces were obtained with enrichment, MSewage may serve as a hot spot for MDR emergence and dissemination.
Highlights
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a critical public health risk, estimated to account for 700,000 human mortalities per year [1,2]
A One Health approach to AMR monitoring has been advocated, most studies have not systematically compared AMR E. coli isolated across the beef production chain to those obtained from human sources
Trends of extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) phenotypes followed a similar pattern as we found for β-lactamase genotypes CHumans > municipal sewage (MSewage) > CFeces > CBasins > SStreams > BProcessing, but prevalence of ESBL phenotypes were generally lower than the identification of β-lactamase determinants (Table 3; Table S3), with a higher diversity of genes occurring in MSewage isolates (Table 3; Table S3)
Summary
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a critical public health risk, estimated to account for 700,000 human mortalities per year [1,2]. A One Health approach to AMR monitoring has been advocated, most studies have not systematically compared AMR E. coli isolated across the beef production chain to those obtained from human sources. The One Health approach acknowledges the interconnectedness of health domains associated with humans, animals and the environment, and employs an integrated approach to risk management and decision making. This enables the identification of those segments along the continuum that can best disrupt the transmission of AMR from the environment to humans [2,18]
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